My experience
Answering this question more generally I would say that the answer is easy - cross cultural exchanges are one of the most powerful and enriching human to human experiences that you can have! It forces you to consider and ponder things that you never had previously and leads you to discovering more deeply your created purpose! These things inevitably lead towards personal development both academically and in terms of soft skills. Knowing this, and having also developed a love for foreign languages, the decision was pretty much already made in my mind!
How has the experience changed you?
More specifically, I believe that this experience has deepened my ability to relate to and connect with Sino- Australian trade its cultural challenges and benefits. I now understand the history behind many trade issues connecting these countries and have been equipped with the ability to apply this within the context of multicultural workplace environments.
This experience has expanded my understanding of world politics and local political pressures in Taiwan and has given me a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices made by many to fight for a free and sustainable world.
With numerous in class discussions and out of class excursions, I have been able to practice transferring these skills to various group projects and interactions. As many readers would know, this is invaluable as preparation for similar exchanges in our future workplaces!
Overall, I’ve been so blessed to have met so many amazing people who have become such good friends! We’re already talking about organising future meetups in Australia or maybe even abroad, ha!
Favourite memory
Anything to do with people and friends wins hands down! I’ve loved all the hangs with my new friends in Taiwan which makes it so hard to pick a favourite! I’ll settle with the Saturday hangs and exploring with an awesome friend who I met for the first time in Taiwan! Shout-out to Issac!
Top tips
Yes! Be an adventurer, a friend and a curious explorer and you will discover more than you could have dreamed of! Oh and try the food in Taiwan! It’s pretty good !